National Politics

Mitt Romney speaks during a presidential campaign rally at D'Evelyn Junior/Senior High School in Jefferson County on Sunday, Sept. 23, 2012. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)

JEFFERSON COUNTY — GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney on Sunday laid blame for a flagging economy on President Barack Obama and touted energy independence and growing small business in his first rally in Colorado in almost two months.

Romney campaign officials said about 7,000 people attended the evening rally in a football field at D'Evelyn Junior/Senior High School. Romney will host another rally in Pueblo tomorrow.

"These promises he (Obama) has made, we don't have to guess what the results are going to be," Romney said. "We've seen the results, we don't like the results, that's why that man needs to get out of that office and let someone get there who will take America in a different course."

Photos: Mitt Romney in Colorado

Romney's Colorado swing comes after a rough week for the campaign. A fundraising video leaked last week showed Romney characterizing 47 percent of the country as "victims" who are "dependent on the government."

The governor has only had five events in the last seven days and the Obama campaign has been using the video to paint Romney has out of touch.

But Romney's state director James Garcia described on Sunday the next 45 days as a double down on the candidate's message of energy independence, promoting small business and opening up trade across the country.

Colorado is still very much in play as every national poll puts Obama and Romney within a few points of each other — mostly within the statistical margin of error.

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On Sunday in this swing county where active registered voters are split almost evenly between Democrats at 31 percent, Republicans at 36 percent and unaffiliated voters at 32 percent, Romney sought to define his message.

He pushed energy independence, school reform and opening up trade barriers.

"We have kind of an ace in the hole that came along to us because someone learned how to drill into the earth, not just vertically but horizontally," he said, talking about oil and gas hydraulic fracturing. "I will double licenses and permits, and I'll make sure we'll drill in the outer continental shelf and drill in Alaska and bring in that pipeline from Canada."

Supporters file in before a Mitt Romney presidential campaign rally at D'Evelyn Junior/Senior High School on Sunday, Sept. 23, 2012. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)

"There couldn't be a clearer choice between the president's commitment to education, and the rhetoric of the Romney-Ryan ticket, which would slash funding for education at a time when we need to be investing in our students and teachers," said Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat and former Denver schools chief.

Garcia said Sunday the campaign was targeting women and Hispanics in the coming 45 days until the election. The Romney campaign estimates there are 98,000 unemployed women in Colorado.

"I think people are really disappointed in the promises" President Barack Obama made four years ago, Garcia said. "The reality has sunk in."

Joyce Boehland, a 75-year-old from Arvada, attended her first political rally Sunday and said she liked "feeling the essence" of the candidate instead of just seeing him on TV.

"I feel better now," she said, putting on her shoes after standing for a long time on the football field. "I heard real steps tonight."

GOP state chair Ryan Call told the crowd Sunday that Colorado had an "outsized" role in this election. President Barack Obama has visited Colorado nine times so far this year.

Romney's vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan will come to Colorado Wednesday for a town hall in Fort Collins and a rally in Colorado Springs.

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